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User ID: 1280
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1yr ago
In my experience, dairy farmers (and beef cattle farmers) doing their own ultrasounding is very common... When you have herds of hundreds of cattle that you are regularly artificially inseminating, it's just not practical to have a vet out to the farm to do routine preg checks. I can't speak much to the culture war angle, but this really just seems like unnecessary bureaucracy impeding on extremely anodyne agricultural practices
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6mo ago
best advantage possible
optimal school district and educational system
Home and homeschool.
This is heavily colored by my own experiences but barring getting your kids into a really good K-12 system I don't think you can beat homeschooling for purely educational outcomes. With the caveat that at least one of the parents is going to need to be heavily involved in running the show, at least during the early years up until middle school. Once you get to that point if your kids are motivated you can basically go autopilot, and once they hit 11th grade early college programs are a popular option.
One more caveat, extracurriculars that get your kids involved with peers and mentors outside the home are going to be critical for obvious reasons.
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4mo ago
My sense is that if men had access to a harem, in the sense pool of women you could freely fuck but not otherwise have to interact with in any meaningful way, they would be pretty down for it. Separate-palace-managed-by-eunuchs type of setup. The trouble comes with have to deal (intimately) with >1 woman in any capacity outside of this.
Most surprising thing in this story is Greene's fiance still marrying the guy. I don't expect this is the first, or last wild ride he's going to take her on...
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1yr ago
While Houellebecq is undoubtedly an inveterate and unrepentant coomer with a possible predilection for hebes, I would say he looks on pedophilia with sort of bemusement more than anything. His characters are consumed by their jealousy for the young (which, as @BahRamYou's quote indicates, is specifically high school/college age), and regrets for what could have been in their own youth. And this ends badly for them. Jumping to your conclusion via this one passage is...well, a jump.
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9mo ago
My wife loves shopping, whereas even stepping foot in a mall basically saps me of the will to live. So I usually have my ebook on hand and plop down on the nearest bench to wait. Kinda lame but that way she can take all the time she wants and then we can go eat together afterwards or whatever. The alternative of shopping together makes her want to leave early because I'm such a downer. But unless I have an objective, browsing around really doesn't do it for me.
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4mo ago
Casual sex is very low-effort.
I think @lagrangian 's point is that sex in a monogamous relationship even lower effort/better so why bother with the casual. Especially if there is a non-zero chance you end up in the OP situation
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1yr ago
Within Japan, expatriate women from North America (US and Canada) or Europe are either: 1) Divorced 2) married to or the consort of a Japanese man. 1) Will be politically progressive 2) will be neutral, disinterested, or conservative
In my experience, the vast majority of North American expatriate men in Japan are also progressive, especially the ALT crowd. Which is hardly surprising since they are almost uniformly liberal arts college grads fresh out of school.
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1yr ago
Regarding athlete IQ, while the average pro athlete may be above group level, their intellectual abilities are so singularly focused on sports that they often come across as unintelligent when it comes to just about any other activity.
Thus they are on the field making incredible plays that will be remembered for a long time thereafter, unlike their interviews/biographies which are generally devoid of any actual insight whatsoever.
I'm mainly lifting this theory from one of DFW's tennis essays, but I think it may hold true for sports in general.
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6mo ago
This tracks with my personal experience. Both my older sister and I had to retake a lot of math in college. I didn't realize it was so common given that @pairingheap is saying the same thing. Average parents are just generally going to be rusty with their own math by the time their kids are hitting the more advanced stuff I suppose. Not a universal issue as I can recall off the top of my head a least a few other fellow homeschoolers who have gone on to do quite well in STEM. Purely anecdotal of course...
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1yr ago
As a former Hokkaido resident, I can at least advise you on some of the fun to be had there. As an aside, I personally don't enjoy Tokyo at all, but if it's your first time then it is fine. It certainly has the most stuff in general.
Cars are obviously the best way to get around Hokkaido, as trains are much more limited than in the south. I'm not sure how familiar you are with winter driving, but all cautions apply. The island gets extreme levels of snowfall at times.
For skiing, Niseko is the biggest one, very touristy but just as popular with the locals. There are a couple of ski resorts in the area, Grand Hirafu being the flagship. It's a fantastic mountain, good backcountry areas, spacious lifts, and mind blowing powder if you can catch it. Mt. Yotei is known as Hokkaido's Fuji and is available for backcountry tours, but it's a spectacular sight even if you dont ski it. Other favorites of mine (bearing in mind they are fairly out of the way) are Furano and Kamui ski links. Sapporo Teine and Sapporo Kokusai are good options right outside of the city.
Unfortunately hiking isn't an option in winter, but definitely look into snowshoeing if that's your thing.
For food, soup curry and jingisukan "Genghis Khan" are favorite Hokkaido specialties. Also, Hokkaido ramen is far superior to mainland stuff, especially if you like miso ramen. There is a "ramen alley" in Sapporo with a bunch of popular options. You can also get a great bowl at Chitose airport if you can't wait.
Susukino is the nightlife hub in Sapporo, but you might want to range a bit further out for a quieter izakaya experience.
Don't knock hitting the onsen after a long day of skiing, it's pretty unbeatable especially if you have access to outdoor baths which are wonderful in the winter.
Seicomart is the Hokkaido exclusive conbini so check that out for sure.
In general, Hokkaido is pretty spread out so be mindful of drive times compounded by winter conditions. If you have other specific areas in mind I can share what I know.
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6mo ago
rather beside the point but does Hanania look particularly ghoulish in this video? Almost seems like he's wearing eyeshadow/liner
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9mo ago
I recently rewatched the whole thing after first seeing it 10+ years ago and it holds up really well. I would add a few more caveats than you but it is very well rounded. Definitely a show I would be happy to have my kids watch.
Season 1 is by far the weakest, just some dud episodes before they get into the flow of the story. Unfortunately I think the kid show vibes from the first half of season one turn off some older viewers. But it is ultimately a kids show so I can't knock it too much for that
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1yr ago
Not even the Motte is invulnerable to the neuron activation that accompanies anything about sex
A quick google search reveals that she's actually decently attractive and not overweight (albeit most of the pics are 7+ years old). Old yes, but she could have certainly done better than whatever the hell she is doing now on this app.
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2yr ago
Finished American Psycho, which is both funnier and considerably more violent than it's film adaptation. Ultimately they did a really good job with the film, I think watching it actually enhances your appreciation of some of the more memorable scenes (the business cards etc.).
It has three rather interesting chapters were Bateman reviews musical artists, namely Huey Lewis and the News, Whitney Houston, and Phil Collins.
Which has led me to listening to Huey Lewis while doing some cooking recently. Peak boomer rock vibes.
Also continuing with Plutarch, currently on Pompey. Quality as with the rest of his writing.
And slowly working my way through Les Miserables, which hardly needs introduction. As with many titanic classic novels, I've found it to be considerably different than what I might have expected. Hugo takes his time with lengthy digressions, if you can call a full retelling of Waterloo that. He is also very much a bleeding heart kind of progressive thinker, anti-capital punishment themes and appeals to the plight of the poverty-stricken are very much at the forefront. I have my disagreements with his thinking, but what better way to extrapolate on such ideas than in a beautifully written novel?
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9mo ago
FMA:B is probably one of the best examples of a shonen anime/manga that told its story and wrapped things up in a timely manner. Stuck the landing as well which is damn near unheard of in the anime world...
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1yr ago
I have to counter your quote (but agree with your last sentences!) with the following from Serotonin:
Everything was clear, extremely clear from the beginning, but we didn’t realise. Did we yield to the illusion of individual freedom, of an open life, of infinite possibilities? It’s possible; those ideas were part of the spirit of the age; we didn’t formalise them, we didn’t have the taste to do that; we merely conformed and allowed ourselves to be destroyed by them; and then, for a very long time, to suffer as a result.
God takes care of us; he thinks of us every minute, and he gives us instructions that are sometimes very precise. Those surges of love that flow into our chests and take our breath away – those illuminations, those ecstasies, inexplicable if we consider our biological nature, our status as simple primates – are extremely clear signs.
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11mo ago
I'm a chain conveyor belt sushi pleb, although I will say quality varies greatly depending on location. As with most things in Japan, it's all better up in Hokkaido imo.
I have to push back on the chawan mushi, it's absolutely delicious in the winter. My mother in law makes it with chestnuts and chicken, really hard to beat. Natto-maki is the best way to eat natto.
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1yr ago
Authentic, sure. Something I'd want to listen to more than once? Less so. In any case, I don't think we'll ever get political music quite like the Irish do.
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5mo ago
Between Two Fires
A knight in ex communicatio and a bugger priest team up to escort a loli with visions of angels across plague-stricken mids 1300s France. Shenanigans of demonic and mundane nature ensue.
I'm only about a third of the way through. This could have functioned as a straight historical fiction novel but it leans fairly into the supernatural. The character dynamics of the main trio are carrying it so far.
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6mo ago
2020 was my best year as well funnily enough, but even then I maxed out at 35 books. I feel like at that level I don't retain a whole lot, although writing some mini-reviews like you have seems like a good idea. Thinking about my average day, there's plenty of space to squeeze in more reading without giving up anything in particular. Your posts have given me some motivation!
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6mo ago
Katie Herzog of Blocked and Reported fame (who TracingWoodgrains was formerly working for) came out as a big proponent of naltrexone, apparently she has a book coming out about it as well. Seems like pretty promising stuff.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sea-change/id1743666262?i=1000653826427
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7mo ago
Best I can do is some /lit/ charts. Sadly the wiki they were originally on got nuked a few months back but you can dig around in the mega for stuff. Schizo but a starting point, at least.
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8mo ago
I've watched some video reviews, and the dialogue doesn't seem great but it could be cherry picking. Still, from what I've seen there is nothing like Dragon Age 2's Friendship/Rivalry system which was something I was hoping for. In fact it doesn't seem like you can have disagreements with companions up to the point of them leaving the party/etc. Again I haven't played but it looks like the Dragon Age subreddit is turning on the game now that people have had time to play. Lack of continuity seems to be the biggest strike against it. Inquisition and Trespasser especially provided a pretty epic setup for this game and even with 10 years to deliver it doesn't seem like Bioware really managed it. I doubt I'll play this one (or at least wait for a very deep discount) in spite of really loving the rest of the series. I'm finishing up Wrath of the Righteous at the moment and a second playthrough sounds more appealing than Veilguard.
Even her "unexpected singleness" at 39 came after a relationship of only a few years. She mentions having lived through and used many of the iterations of dating apps thus far, leading me to believe that she started in on wanting a family way too late. Sad, but surely avoidable if it wasn't the outcome she wanted.
As an aside, this kind of aloofness in matters of sex necessary to use an app like this strikes me as the opposite of emotional maturity...it's just emotionally avoidant, no?
Great for the guy I guess, but this just feels so cold to me.
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